


Sweetest Hours

by EscapingStories (orphan_account)



Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-24
Updated: 2014-09-24
Packaged: 2018-02-18 15:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2353349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/EscapingStories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The final hours before she has to head home after a wonderful day on the beach in Malibu.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweetest Hours

They drop Jenna off at the apartment she shares with Brooklyn and Whitey after the day at the beach. She hates saying goodbye to her friend but she'll be out again in a few weeks and they'll be able to spend more time together then. Besides when she'd suggested they all do dinner the pout that had graced Maks' face was epic and Jenna's happily amused and sad at the same time face was too much, "I think he's got other plans for you this evening."

Now he’s driving down the 405 to his apartment the windows open wind whipping through her hair, pulling pieces from where she’d piled it on top of her head. The setting sun tinging the city in warm orange hues making his skin glow as she watches the west coast fly by through his window. A perfect backdrop for the gorgeous man holding her hand.

"Whatcha thinking about?" He asks with a squeeze of her hand.

She sleepily smiles, "What a wonderful week this has been." Lifting their knotted the hands to her lips she pressed a kiss to the back of his, "I wish I didn't have to go."

He hums his agreement, glancing at her as he exits the highway pointing the car in the direction of his apartment. "You have to finish school, it'll be easier if you’re at home. Don't think I didn't hear you getting up every morning to do homework before crawling back into bed with me."

"Time zones are a pain sometimes." She murmurs, letting go of his hand so he can pull into the parking space.

They climb out of the car gathering their beach supplies and meeting around the back of the SUV to walk up to the apartment. "You go back to Michigan and finish school, besides you’ll be back in a few weeks."

"I know I'm just being melancholy. It's been such a magical week." Shaking her head she smiles broadly at him, "So tell me what do you have planned?"

"Just a quiet night at home alone with my girl." He opens the door to the palatial apartment ushering her inside. "Val is in Vegas with Janel, and Serge is in Pennsylvania or something, so we are home alone. I thought I'd make dinner and then we can just spend the evening together."

"That's a wonderful plan." She lifts on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. "I'm gonna take a shower. Did you want to join me or start dinner?" She moves in the direction of his bedroom carrying her beach bag.

She doesn't make it very far before he catches her around the waist, growling, "Like that's a question."

An hour later she wanders into the kitchen braiding her wet hair, "It smells fantastic, anything I can do to help?"

He surveys the kitchen, "Set the table? There's a white wine chilling in the fridge."

She smile at him moving off towards the cabinets, deciding that outside on the deck was ideal for dinner, it wouldn't be warm enough in Detroit to eat outside so she might was well make the most of it. She sets the table, lights the candles, turns on some low jazzy music, pours the wine all dancing around Maks in the kitchen without ever getting in the way.

She'd just settled in her seat taking a long sip of the wine when Maks emerged from the sliding glass door two plates of food in hand. "Oh this looks wonderful."

"There's leftovers of you want it. Putting a little more weight on you isn't a terrible idea."

"Charlie's going to start complaining I've put on like 10 pounds over the summer."

"You look amazing and Charlie knows better than to say a word."

“Nah he was getting worried about me running up to the Olympics, if we didn't eat together so often he would have been certain I wasn't eating. Besides what are you gonna do defend my honor? Some how I think he could take you."

He chuckles, "Yes, Charles White of Detroit, Michigan would win in a fight against me?"

She laughs at the very idea of the two men that love her the most ever fighting, "He won a couple of fights in middle school hockey when they were making fun of him figuring skating."

"Well even if he hadn't won the fights he certainly is doing better than them now. He's spent his whole life in the company of some of the most beautiful woman in the world and he's got multiple Olympic medals with the prettiest one." He he tangles their free hands together. Her cheeks flush head tipping forward to hide her blush. "It's a good thing he's blind ‘cause it means I get you all to myself," he winks at her.

She giggles that same little giggle that she has every time someone mentions her and Charlie dating, he knows now that to her it’s the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard. "He and Tanith are so good together, they’ll be happy together in Detroit, but I don’t think that’s where I want to end up.”

"Where do you want to end up?" His face tells her that he didn't actually expect to ask that but they've talked circles around it so many times.

She pulls in a deep breath, time to face the music. "Don't get me wrong I love home and my family is there. But there is so much to the world that I've had the chance to experience and I don't want to give that up in retirement," she locks her eyes on his, "besides its not where you are."

"Are you ready to sign up for a bi-coastal life?"

"Would it really be bi-coastal if you're not on the show?"

"No, I suppose not, just a lot of trips to LA."

"New York has seasons so that's better, besides it’s not like I’m a novice traveler,” she shrugs.

"So New York?"

She smiles lifts her eyebrows, "New York."

"Well that could be arranged I even know where you could live. There's a beautiful house in the Jersey burbs. Your roommate would be such a gentleman, he even has a dog."

"Why Mr. Chmerkovskiy, are you asking me to move in with you?"

"Well not yet. But when you do move to New York, don't waste time looking for some where to live."

She memorizes the way he's looking at her right now. The warmth and sincerity pouring out of him when he lifts her hand to press a kiss to the back. They're quiet for a long moment before she stands crossing over to him. Swing one leg over his she settles into his lap. Threading her fingers into his hair, "Sounds like a good plan to me."

His hands settle low on her hips keeping her snugly against him, humming in his joy. "I could stay here all day."

Dropping her head to his shoulder she's inclined to agree.

She wakes the next morning in a pool of white fabric as sunlight fills the room, his arm thrown across her stomach. Grabbing her phone off the nightstand she rolls towards him snapping a picture of him with his faced smashed in the pillow, blissfully unaware of the world around him. Saving that for herself, she opens instagram and loads a picture from Malibu and adds a quote that suits her mood, and then puts a different quote on twitter. She’s a certifiable sap, and she couldn't be bothered by it.

Dropping the phone back on the nightstand she rolls back into him, they have a few hours before she needs to leave for the airport, they can luxuriate in this for a minute. She must have jostled him awake, because he lets out a deep sighing breath, brushing a kiss to her forehead. But he doesn't say anything either.

So they doze all tangled up in each other, until they can hear someone moving around in the kitchen. “Val's back,” he groans, pulling her closer.

“Means we need to get up,” she breathes into his collar bone.

“Val being here, isn't a reason to get out of bed,” he grumbles, brushing her hair out behind her, fingers gently sweeping over her skin, causing her eyes to flutter open to find him staring at her. “Could you be more beautiful?”

Scraping her nails through his stubble, “I love you,” pressing her lips to his. He wastes no time in joining her. Worshiping her.

An hour later she wheels her suitcase into the living room leaving it by the front door, before crossing the room to join his brother in the kitchen, “Morning Valentin.”

“Princess.” He leans over and presses a kiss to her cheek, “Leaving us so soon?”

She nods pulling things out of the fridge to make the boys omelets, “Charlie and I have stuff tomorrow and all week, photo shoots, classroom champions, rehearsal, and you know school.”

“You’ll be back soon though?” He asks watching her work in the kitchen like it’s her own.

“Couple of weeks, definitely. Probably a few more times throughout the season, have to cheer you on get that second Chmerkovskiy mirror ball.”

“Yeah, Janel has the potential. She works hard. Not a Meryl Davis, but no one is this year.” He tells her with a wink..

She blushes, “The producers mentioned something about wanting Maks and I to dance somewhere later, when you guys need a filler. Maks isn't sold on it.”

“He’s smarting from not getting the judging gig.”

“No, he’s smarting from the fact that Julianne got it. If it had been anyone else he’d have gotten over it by now.” She pours the eggs in to the skillet.

Val nods his head, “As usual you see the truth of it.”

“Anyway, you’ll talk to him about it.”

Val just smirks at her, “Meryl, if you want to do it Maks will be there, he’s powerless to tell you no.”

Just then Maks walks into the room, “Who am I powerless to say no to?”

“Bro is that even a question,” Val smacks his brother on arm as he takes a seat next him.

She just smiles at them, plating the food and sliding it across to them. Carrying her plate around to sit next to Maks at the bar. And she eats breakfast with his hand on her knee sweeping gentle patterns through her leggings, as she runs her toes over the back of his ankle.

The car comes to take her to the airport, and Val kisses her cheek and tells her he’ll see her soon and makes himself scarce. Leaving her with a quiet Maks.

“I wish you didn't have to leave.” He tells her, cupping her cheeks.

“I wish I didn't have to leave.”

“I love you and I’ll see you soon.” He leans in a captures her lips in a searing kiss that’s going to keep dazed at least half way through the flight.

He pulls back panting, tears in his eyes, just watching her. “I’ll call when my flight lands ok.” She whispers, refusing to let go, “I love you,” she pops up on her toes and brushes a kiss across his lips, and then has to step back before she doesn’t leave. “Ok I’m gonna go.”

She gathers her things, and he carries the bag down to the car ahead of her, giving her a quick kiss clearly not trusting himself to talk as she gets in the car. The driver is polite as he checks where they’re headed and pulls out of the parking lot.

She watches him stand in the parking lot until he’s no longer visible and then she takes the rest of the car ride to get herself together. It’s all worth it, even the leaving just means she’s that much closer to the much more permanent situation.

Her phone buzzes before they get to LAX “ _Can’t wait to be roommates. Have a safe flight. See you soon._ ” Followed by a heart emoji, that she knows he spent five minutes hunting for just for her.

She tries to come up with something to say back, but settles on the basics.

_ Love you. _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading


End file.
